The government of Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad, has promised to make the Kurdish New Year’s festival of Newroz into an annual national public holiday, starting in 2012.

The city of Qamishli (northeastern Syria on the border with Turkey, predominantly Kurdish, Arabs and Assyrians/Syriacs) is renowned for throwing a large Christmas parade every year in December, and celebrating Newroz festival by a large crowd every year in March.